Biography

Thomas Shadwell was born in 1750 in England, the son of Richard Shadwell (d. 1786), who served as chief clerk in the Secretary of State's office, and his wife, Mary (d. 1777). After a period of traveling in Turkey, Shadwell served as private secretary to Thomas Robinson, 2nd baron Grantham (1738-1786), while Grantham was ambassador to Spain, beginning his employment in 1771 and returning to England in the spring of 1778. In 1773, Shadwell began corresponding with John Marsh (1747-1823), the British consul at Malaga. Shadwell continued the correspondence until his return to England. He later traveled to the West Indies, where he died in 1786.